Miku Burglar
“Help meeeeeee!”
Tobiichi Origami was fiddling with some small electronic parts in the living room of the Itsuka household when that sound came abruptly. The door flew open, and a young girl dove in.
She had long and well-groomed light indigo hair, boasting a perfectly tall figure. A Spirit and popular idol: Izayoi Miku.
“What are you doing?”
Faced with the sudden loud noise and the new visitor, Origami remained calm and collected. She stopped tinkering and watched as Miku, who couldn’t stop rolling, eventually came to a stop on the sofa.
As a result, Miku suddenly lifted her upper body and turned to face Origami.
“Ah! Origami! I’ve been looking for you! I want to talk to you honestly about something…”
“A discussion?”
After Origami answered promptly, Miku glanced around the room cautiously.
“Well, just to be safe, I just want to check: are you the only one here at the moment? No one else?”
“No.”
Origami nodded in confirmation. The other Spirits and the head of the house: Shido and Kotori were not in the Itsuka household today.
Although the owner is not present, it was strange that Origami was the only one in their living room. However, it wasn’t that big of a surprise: since the number of Spirits has increased, the Itsuka household has become a place for all of them to gather, so all of the Spirits were given backup keys.
“Has anyone installed a wiretap…?”
“No one aside from me.”
“That’s great. Really puts me at ease.”
Miku breathed a sigh of relief when she heard what Origami said.
Usually, either Shido or Kotori would be home at this time. Now, however, it was only Origami and Miku present and neither were speaking… it was a bit lonely.
“…Then about the thing I wanted to discuss with you… I have something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
After clarifying with Origami, Miku nodded slightly and then said:
“I was hoping that you and I could become ‘robbers!’”
“…What do you mean?”
Origami couldn’t understand the meaning behind Miku’s words as she tilted her head in confusion. As a result, Miku provided an explanation, nodding and then said:
“In other words, I need your help stealing something from someone.”
Origami’s eyebrows shot up when she heard Miku’s inappropriate words. Upon a moment’s reflection, however, she sighed in understanding.
“—Are you stealing socks? Or a toothbrush?”
“Ah! No, I’m not referring to anything Darling used.”
Miku quickly shook her head to deny it. That doesn’t seem to be the case.
It made sense upon further reflection, if Miku wanted to steal something of Shido’s, she surely wouldn’t need Origami’s help and could have acted right now. However, if she wanted to prepare alternatives in case Shido found out about it, that was an entirely different matter.
In that regard, the word “steal” has a more dangerous meaning. Miku seemed to have guessed what Origami was thinking from her expression and was quick to clarify:
“It’s not so much ‘stealing’ so much as ‘stealing back.’”
“What happened?”
“Actually…”
Miku exhaled a sigh loudly.
◇◇◇
“…Lilac Burglar?”
After school one day, after her own tea-stating, Miku listened to what the girl sitting opposite of her said, all the while, her eyes widening.
“Yes…”
The young girl answered in a fluent Mandarin that didn’t match her appearance.
Her name was Rosalie Welbeck. She was an exchange student visiting Miku at Rindouji All-Girls’ Private School.
With beautiful silk-like blonde hair and fair skin, she had an elegant temperament and education and was a lovely girl in every regard and was the perfect definition of a “deep girl”.
Honestly, it was Miku’s ideal type. However, Miku’s fondness for girls was as wide as the Tokyo Dome. In short, there were many types of girls that could be considered her ideal type.
Going back to the topic at hand, Miku found a cute girl in the school that she hadn’t met before. She was so overjoyed that she immediately invited her to come to her home as a guest and treat her with some delicious refreshments. Despite this, she still looked gloomy.
Upon being asked, Miku suggested the name just now.
“Yes… have you heard of them? They seem to be whipping up a storm in the city lately.”
“Hmm… I think I might have heard of them somewhere, but I don’t know much else…”
After Miku responded, Rosalie frowned slightly and said:
“A few months ago, my family received a threatening letter with the words “Will steal the Rose Girl”… Ah, the Rose Maiden is an heirloom, a precious gem. Of course, my parents thought that the whole thing was just a horrible prank so they didn’t take it seriously.
“So as a result, was it really stolen?”
After Miku asked her question, Rosalie nodded with a pained expression.
“I don’t know how they managed to do it but by the time we realized what happened, the Rose Girl was already stolen out of its box.”
Rosalie bowed her head after she finished speaking; Miku, for her part, looked serious.
“That’s it… I’m really sorry, I didn’t know you encountered such a serious thing, and I leisurely asked you to have afternoon tea…”
Ah, d-don’t say that. I’m actually very grateful for you to invite me. If you hadn’t done something to shift the focus, I’d still be thinking about it and feeling depressed about it. I can’t keep going on like this. It’s rare to be able to come to Japan as an exchange student and I’ve been worried about this since I came here.”
Rosalie smiled and waved weakly but her face sank almost immediately.
Miku did her best not to let the silence linger and immediately spoke in an effort to cheer the other girl up.
“Hmm… What a strange thief who’s the one doing the good deed? As long as you stay determined, you should be able to catch and punish him.”
“Well…”
After Miku finished speaking, Rosalie responded with an awkward expression on her face.
“Hey? What’s wrong with you?”
“N-No… it’s nothing.”
“Hmm?”
Rosalie’s odd behavior made Miku frown as she regarded the foreign exchange student with wonder.
“If you’re willing to hear me out, let’s talk honestly.”
After being questioned by Miku, Rosalie hesitated for a moment, and then said softly, “Actually—”
“I heard that after the lilac burglar stole the Rose Maiden from my family, a Japanese property got a gem very similar to the Rose maiden.
“Huh…? That seems awfully suspicious.”
Miku put a hand on her chin as she reflected on this new piece of information. Rosalie clenched her thighs while frowning in an attempt to suppress her anger.
People who go to conventions about these sorts of things upload photos to social networking sites. Someone else is taking credit for my Rose Maiden that’s been a part of my family…!”
“Huh? Are you saying that you think that this bourgeoisie person might be the lilac burglar?”
“I don’t know. However, I don’t think it has anything to do with him. All I know is that the Rose Maiden is with him.”
“Is that right… did you tell the police about this?”
“I tried… but the police simply ignored me because there was no evidence.”
Rosalie gritted her teeth unwillingly and lowered her head as tears dripped from her eyes onto the table.
“Rose Maiden isn’t just a beautiful gem but it’s also an important treasure passed down from generation to generation… but…”
“Rosalie-san…”
Miku looked at Rosalie with compassion. Soon after, her gaze sharpened and became more determined as she held Rosalie’s trembling hand.
That’s right. It was a well known fact that Izayoi Miku always got emotional when she spotted a crying girl’s face. But the thought of Miku making a girl cry could simply not be allowed. How could she leave the sad and crying girl in front of her alone?
“Please leave it to me! I’ll help you get back your Rose Maiden!”
“Huh…?”
After Miku spoke, Rosalie’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Get it back… what exactly do you plan to do?”
“Hehehe…”
Miku smiled mischievously as she turned around, her skirt fluttering in the breeze while her index finger touched her lips in a seductive manner.
“Did you know? There’s more to idols than meets the eye.”
◇◇◇
“…And that’s what happened.”
After listening to her story, Origami stared blankly at Miku.
“I understand what happened. So what price did you ask of her in order to get back the Rose maiden?”
“A kiss on my cheek… No, wait, I just wanted to help Rosalie-san!”
Despite her true desires slipping out, Miku argued fiercely… however, it was clear that she seemed to ask for something in return.
Origami sighed softly as she put a hand to her chin in thought.
“The Lilac Burglar…”
“The burglar seems to go by that moniker, yes. Have you heard of them?”
“I have. I remember the names of several unsolved serial burglar suspects.”
“Oooh! To be expected of Origami! However, is there really such a strange thief in this day and age?”
What Miku just said was not something someone who wanted to become a thief would say. Origami felt conflicted but still answered:
“Because of influence from the media, there are many burglars who give themselves strange names, hence “strange thieves”. Sometimes, the media may also jokingly use that term to refer to prisoners who use ingenious ways to commit crimes.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. In addition to the Lilac Burglar mentioned before, there are plenty of other burglars that use similar titles like Wisteria Burglar, Rose Burglar, and Swift Burglars among others that haven’t been arrested yet.”
“Uh… was that last person meant as a homophonic joke?”
“There’s no use asking me about it.”
After Origami spoke lightly, Miku shook her head and continued to speak.
“In short, I can’t forgive such a crime! An eye for an eye! A theft for a theft! Origami and I will help her get the Rose Maiden back! I’ve already thought of a team name! The association of the words Night and Kite makes for a strange thief <Night kite>!”
“Why drag me into this situation?”
“Huh? Because it would be dangerous to do such a thing alone. Plus, the other party is very rich so it’s likely that they would have a bunch of anti-theft devices installed in their mansion…”
“Why not go to <Ratatoskr>?”
“Well I thought about this option… but if Kotori-san were to find out about it, she would tell everyone not to get involved in such a dangerous thing. However, if it was Origami-san, then it might be easier to talk.”
“…”
Miku’s so-called “more than meets the eye” was simply to ask others for help? Origami sighed softly.
“Sorry. I refuse. Find someone else to help you.”
“Oh! But why?!”
Miku’s eyes widened at Origami’s unexpected response. Origami continued to tinker with the parts while answering: “That gem is based on the exchange student’s testimony. It’s too risky to act just on this alone. More to the point, I have no reason to accept it.”
“Aaaah! But there are cute girls crying! Wouldn’t your heart bleed at the thought!”
“I think she’s pathetic and I have no intention of being a burglar for someone I’ve never even met before.”
“It’s not being a thief, it’s righteous theft <Night—>!”
“It’s the same under criminal law.”
“I-I know… I’ll change the name to “Kite Night” head office!”
“How is there a difference?”
After Origami finished speaking indifferently, Miku puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. At that moment, she seemed to remember something and the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile.
“Oh, that’s right, Origami. You said it before. Because the world has changed, many photos of Darling have been lost.”
“—!”
Hearing what Miku said, Origami frowned slightly.
Miku spotted her reaction sharply and her smile broadened.
“Hehehe… Actually, do you have a video of Darling in your collection that you can watch?”
Origami raised her head without saying a word.
“—Strange thief “Night Kite” will execute justice.”
“Yay! Origami! I love you!”
Miku twisted her body and made a joyful cry.
As a result—
“Ah! I heard your conversation.”
The next moment, a noise came from the entrance of the living room.
“…?”
“Yes, who is?”
Looking around for a moment, they spotted a woman with short hair who didn’t know when to appear. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall while striking an inexplicable pose.
It was Honjou Nia, a Spirit much like Miku and Origami. It seems that she’d come to the Itsuka household while they’d been talking.
“—Nia.”
“I was really scared for a moment, but it turned out to be Nia-san.”
Miku sighed helplessly while Nia pursed her lips, unconvinced.
“Eh, what’s with that reaction? Couldn’t you be just a little more surprised?”
“I was surprised… by the way, did you hear what Origami just said? If you can keep it a secret from Kotori-san, it’d make us very happy.”
After Miku spoke, Nia nodded her head impressively.
“I understand. I won’t tell anyone. Instead, I’ll be a partner in <Midnight kite>.”
“…?”
“What?”
Origami and Miku were stunned for a moment before they realized what Nia meant.
In other words, she would help keep their plan a secret but only on the condition that she was allowed to join them. She even went so far as to change the team name to one that sounded more impressive.
“It’s too cruel to keep me from participating in such an interesting thing.”
Nia exclaimed as her eyes glowed and sparkled with excitement.
From this perspective, it would be useless to refuse her. If they refused her, she would no doubt tell Kotori about their plans. Origami and Miku winked at each other and quickly exchanged judgements.
“I see. However, this task is going to be very dangerous so you have to obey my instructions.”
Of course! Oh, I really want to try! I say, should I prepare a notice?”
“No. I don’t see any reason why you’d want to alert the other party.”
“Hey Is this a romance?”
Nia pursed her lips. Origami ignored her and suddenly stood up.
“Anyway, now that it’s been decided, we must draw up a battle plan. Shido and the others will be home any moment now. We should go somewhere else to discuss it further.”
“Okay! I understand!”
“It’s time to move to the secret base!”
Miku and Nia replied excitedly.
Origami nodded slightly as she put a lid on the small electronic components she’d been tinkering with before setting it behind a potted plant and left the living room.
Miku and Nia stared at her motion dumbly but they immediately let out an “Ahhhhh” as they understood her intentions. They promptly fell silent as they followed her.
◇◇◇
A few days later:
On a small hill overlooking the city’s suburbs was a large mansion. It was at this mansion that three figures appeared.
“…”
One of these figures was Origami who was taking note of what they were up against with this mansion. She wore a black camouflage suit, a lightweight bulletproof vest that blended well with the darkness, and a headset equipped with various sensors like infrared sight.
“Hehehe. The vigilante is here to deliver justice and punish evil where it hides!”
The other person was Miku who struck a handsome pose with her back to the moon. She was dressed very differently from Origami. She didn’t understand why Miku was wearing a men’s outfit complete with cape, top hat, and a monocle over her right eye. Not only was it inconvenient, it would surely draw attention to herself.
“Humming gaze♪…”
The last one either forgot the lyrics or didn’t want to deal with royalties while humming the same song vaguely was Nia.
Nia’s outfit was as strange as Miku’s as she wore a blue tight suit all over her body and a yellow cloth wrapped around her waist like a salon worker. Additionally, she held what looked to be a calling card in her fingertips.
“—Why are you two dressed like that?”
Origami asked softly. Miku waved her cape proudly while Nia puffed out her chest.
“It’s worthy of Origami! It’s such a golden eye! When it comes to strange thieves, this is the style!”
“No, no, Miku. When it comes to strange thieves, it has to be my outfit—!”
Halfway through her sentence, Nia sneezed. It was hardly a surprise. After all, under the winter night sky, she was only wearing a thin tight suit so it made perfect sense that she would end up being cold.
“Regardless of practicality, I can understand Miku’s intentions behind her outfit; I don’t understand Nia’s outfit at all.”
“That’s right. Why do robbers wear tights? Ah! Wouldn’t it be a reward for others? If that’s the case, just say it sooner. Come on, this cloak is very warm.”
After Origami and Miku finished speaking, Nia trembled with her eyes wide.
“Ehhh… Are the two of you really serious? Dammit… is the generation gap at work? However, I can’t agree with that! It has to be Maurice Leblanc who is relatively old!”
Nia stomped her feet, and then sneezed a lot: “Hello! Damnit!”
“Also, what is with that card?”
Origami asked, pointing to the card in Nia’s hand. It had a stylish emblem made of a book, the moon, and birds with the words “Midnight Kite” in neat text.
“Huh? You only just noticed? This is a calling card. You have to leave this behind, otherwise how will others know who is responsible?”
“It’s unnecessary. Why would you want to intentionally leave traces of a crime?”
“Oh? Well…”
NIa wanted to answer with a natural flair but upon thinking about it for a moment, she could only laugh dryly.
“…Why is this?”
“…”
Origami pinched her temples without saying another word.
—She clearly instructed them to bring equipment that was appropriate for sneaking in. How did it turn out like this?
However, this setback wasn’t going to stop her from completing the operation today. Origami rummaged through the backpack she’d brought and pulled out the equipment she’d prepared in advance.
“Anyway, you two should also wear these.”
“Origami, what is this?”
“Night vision goggles.”
“Hey It doesn’t feel like being a thief…”
Miku said, dissatisfied. However, after folding the night vision goggles and forcing them onto the two, Origami went on to say:
“According to our plans, we have to make three holes to begin sneaking in. Everyone, for the sake of insurance, please make sure to confirm the time with each other.”
“Ah, is this okay?”
“Yeah yeah.”
After listening to what Origami said, Miku pulled a pocket watch from her pocket while Nia pulled out her cell phone from the chest of her tights while striking a sexy pose.
“…”
Origami stared silently at the two of them for several seconds before passing the watches she’d prepared over to the two of them.
◇◇◇
“… What is it?”
Ajitsu Kenzo made an impatient noise as he stared at the servants in the monitoring room. He was a man in his sixties. His short body and white hair were his most prominent features. His face was weather-beaten but despite his age, his eyes were extremely sharp, revealing his extraordinary experience. His fierce stare made one of the maids shudder while letting out a terrified scream.
However, it was not a surprise that Ajitsu would be upset. If anyone woke up by a sudden alarm bell in their sleep, they’d also be upset.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t just ignore it. Because the alarm bell sounded, that meant a disturbing situation occurred.
“It looks like there are trespassers, sir. The sensors just responded. Someone must have broken into this house!”
“…An intruder?”
The maid explained the situation through the monitor. After hearing the explanation, Ajitsu’s eyes widened and his previously drowsy mind immediately came to full awakeness.
“Where! How many people? Pull up the monitors immediately!”
“O-Okay!”
The maid frantically operated the console while Ajitsu squinted and sighed angrily.
Although he didn’t know who it was, Ajitsu suspected that the people who broke into his mansion were after the treasures that he’d collected throughout his life.
“Abominable…”
Ajitsu muttered angrily as he opened the hard aluminum box in his hand. Inside the box was a beautiful gem that was a rose-shaped pink diamond. It had many fascinating charms, making it impossible for any viewer to see them all.
This gem was called the Rose Maiden which was a treasure that Ajitsu finally acquired a while ago. His house also boasted countless other gold and silver treasures. However, just from judging the timing of the break-in, Ajitsu suspected that the Rose Maiden was what they were after.
“Abominable yet so brave. I don’t know who you are, I will never let you succeed…!”
“…Master, I found it! I will bring it up on screen right away!”
The maid’s voice could be heard throughout the monitoring room. Ajitsu looked thoughtfully at the screen in front of him.
Three figures were moving forward through the air vents. One of them was wearing equipment suited for the special forces, but the other two were wearing men’s clothing and tights.
Additionally, all three thieves were young girls. Ajitsu immediately thought the three were sending mixed impressions just from the way they were dressed.
“What are these girls doing?”
“Are they… cosplaying?”
Seeing such unexpected images, the expressions of Ajitsu and his servants appeared confused.
However, Ajitsu quickly shook his head and refocused on the image.
“A-Anyway, it doesn’t matter who it is, an intruder is an intruder. Right now—”
“O-oops, it’s so late, it’s really messy…”
At that moment—
Before Ajitsu could finish speaking, the monitoring room sounded such a voice. The servants’ shoulders twitched in fright. Looking around, they spotted a European American man who did not seem to realize where he was standing.
He was roughly 190 cm tall, had thin cheeks, slender hands and fingers, and looked like dead wood.
“Braque! You’re here!”
Ajitsu called out the man’s name as he recognized the figure.
—Lenard Braque. He was Ajitsu’s bodyguard and the man Ajitsu trusted above all others.
“You’ve heard that there are intruders, right! They must be after the Rose Maiden…!”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Don’t worry.”
“But…!”
After Ajitsu shouted, Braque bent his thin lips into a smile the shape of the crescent moon.
“Or perhaps, do you not still believe in my wizard’s powers, Lenard Braque?”
“…!”
Ajitsu’s breath caught in his throat when he heard what Braque had said.
That’s right. This man was not an ordinary human but rather, a superhuman who was known as a “wizard” and tended to deviate from the norm.
Admittedly, Ajitsu didn’t believe in the existence of wizards in the beginning but there was no denying that his power was real.
State run museums, vaults of big banks, and mansions of the wealthy and nobles around the world: in a sort of magical way, he was able to steal the art, gold, and silver jewelry that Ajitsu wanted from various facilities that are said to be protected by walls made of copper and iron.
Lenard Braque—Also known as the Lilac burglar. He was the rarest “Magic Thief” in modern times.
“Y-yes, I don’t have to worry about anything now that you’re here.”
“That’s true, but I don’t even need to do anything at all!”
After speaking, Braque faced the large center screen mounted on the wall.
Unlike the monitor screen, the floor plan of the house is displayed above and there were red marks lit everywhere.
“Although I don’t know where the thief came from, it’s still very stupid. The anti-theft devices and traps will be irritating for them. They may think that they managed to sneak in undetected… but it’s just like the proverb: like a moth to a flame.”
“So that’s what you meant…”
Ajitsu calmed down when he heard what Braque said.
It’s true that many dangerous traps were set up in the corridors of the Ajitsu household. It was prudent to say good things but unwise to say it badly. It was the combination of Ajitsu’s personality and the various legal and illegal traps prepared by Braque that have turned this mansion into a solid fortress.
“Well, those thieves are about to enter the first trap zone. Let’s enjoy it here leisurely. If you’re lucky, we might have a survivor.”
U-Uh… that’s the same. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
Braque briefed him on the situation calmly while Ajitsu began to laugh after listening to what he had to say.
◇◇◇
“—Wait a minute.”
Having broken into the house through a ventilation shaft left Origami in a dark aisle and so she suddenly stopped, stopping the other two behind her.
“? What happened?”
“Hmm Has something happened?”
Miku and Nia asked, puzzled, while poking their heads from either side of Origami and taking note of the scene in front of them, prompting a note of surprise out of both of them.
This was no surprise because through the night vision goggles, they could make out several red lines drawn in their field of vision.
“It’s so cool! Is this the so-called infrared sensor?”
“Wow, I got to see one for the first time. These are the ones that will trigger an alarm if you touch it a little.”
“It’s okay to trigger the alarm to avoid triggering other more dangerous traps.”
Origami explained, staring at the left and right walls, then the floor and ceiling. It seems to cover up well, but it looks unnatural without any flaws.
“Other traps… what exactly do you mean by that?”
“For example, if it hits infrared light, it will emit a laser light from the wall; or if you try to avoid an infrared light, you could activate the floor’s weight sensor and fall through a trap hole—and so on.”
“Well, isn’t it fine, then?”
“…”
Origami continued to observe their surroundings, she then backtracked a few paces and squatted down on the spot. The wall under her foot revealed an electrical outlet similar to the one the maids used to plug in a vacuum cleaner.
Origami rummaged through her bag and produced a cord which she then plugged into the outlet. The next moment, with a crackling sound, the sparks sputtered everywhere, and the infrared rays that originally covered the path ahead suddenly disappeared.
“Yeah!”
“Wow!”
“―Run now, while you have the chance ‘’
Time was running out and Origami moved as fast as she could. Miku and Nia were one step behind her before they managed to catch up.
Just as the three of them passed through the long passage, a low buzzing hum sound met their ears.
“Whew… Hey Don’t be so sudden…”
“That scared me… what did you do?”
They asked while trying to catch their breath. Origami nodded gently and replied:
“I shorted the power supply which caused a temporary power outage in the house. The inductive power supply there was shared with the power supply in the house.
After Origami finished her explanation, Miku and Nia stared at Origami with newfound admiration.
“That’s so cat-like. But if the power supply is disconnected, what are we going to do?”
“Although I’m not 100% sure, I guess the other party didn’t think too carefully. Speaking of which, the enemy who would want to set up such a trap is watching too many movies.”
“Ahaha, your mouth really is poisonous!”
Nia laughed uproariously. At this moment, Miku made a sound as if she realized something:
“Ah, but that’s what we did just now, wouldn’t the people in the room already be able to find us?”
“It’s very likely that the other party already discovered our presence a long time ago—when we snuck into the house, it should be impossible for Miku and Nia to completely miss the sensors.”
“Huh!”
“Ohh”
The two pressed their chests and twisted their bodies in alarm. However, Origami’s expression remained indifferent as she faced forward.
“—If you don’t pay attention, there will be enemies. Don’t be negligent and follow me.”
After Origami finished speaking, they took off yet again.
◇◇◇
“It was easily broken!”
Ajitsu wailed in the deepest monitoring room in the mansion.
It was no surprise. After only a few seconds of power outage, the intruders on screen managed to pass the first trap zone.
While that had happened, Braque was still at Ajitsu’s side.
“Hehehe… That’s it, there seems to be two brushes…”
“What are you laughing at! What are you going to do about this?!”
“Master, please calm down. What’s the matter, anyway? That trap was nothing more than a basic demonstration.”
“What…?”
“You should know best about how many bodyguards are in this house, right?”
“T-That’s true…”
Aftering hearing Braque’s words, Ajitsu calmed his fury.
Braque was right: This mansion had more than fifty bodyguards on standby. And these bodyguards weren’t mere hooligans or fools. These are all people who have learned many fighting techniques or self-defense skills. Surely, they’d be able to subdue the intruder immediately.
“Right? Usually they get to eat and drink for free, so occasionally they should have to work hard. After catching them and forcing them to recruit behind-the-scenes instructors, they will be at your disposal. At first glance, all three of them are young women. Do you hate it, sir?”
“Huh? Right…”
Ajitsu capped his chin, stared again at the intruder displayed on the screen, and raised a corner of his mouth with an evil smile.
◇◇◇
The three of them managed to get through the trap zone quietly but moved as quickly as possible through the dark corridors of Ajitsu’s house.
Aside from where they’d just come, they hadn’t encountered any new traps. However, that was to be expected after all: this wasn’t just a vault dedicated to protecting jewelry but a home where people lived and worked. If traps were set up everywhere, it would affect daily life as well.
“By the way, Origami. Do you know where the Rose Maiden is?”
Nia’s voice came from behind.
“──From the structure of the floor plan I obtained beforehand, I can probably guess its location. But I am afraid it is in the host’s bedroom, where there is a vault.”
“That’s it? Then we are heading to that bedroom?”
Miku asked after a moment’s thought.
However, Origami shook her head in the negative.
“Where we are going now is the monitoring room that manages the security. Now that the owner knows that there’s an intruder present, the owner would most likely move to the place where most people would gather and may cause a complete lockdown at the same time, trapping us.”
“They would probably take the treasure with them. Even if the other party doesn’t evacuate there, as long as we can capture the monitoring room, the other party will not know our actions.”
After Origami talked lightly, Miku and Nia again expressed their admiration.
It was at that moment—
“…!”
Origami held her breath quietly and stopped on the spot.
The reason was obvious: because the lights suddenly turned on and a group of men in black emerged from the other end of the corridor.
“Hey!”
“Ah! A dirty man!”
Nia and Origami shouted loudly. Origami just took a single step back and without saying a word, lowering her center of gravity, and straing cautiously at the men in black.
Spotting this, the men in black also assumed a fighting stance.
“I thought they were just joking, but it really is a woman! I guess it was exaggerated, like a manga or something.”
A man in a black suit who’d taken the lead looked at Origami and smiled scornfully.
“Let me ask for a moment, ladies, do you want to get hold of yourself? Although it is not guaranteed for the future, at least it can make your lovely faces less hurt.”
“…”
“Is it? That’s so interesting.”
While Origami analyzed the enemy’s combat power silently, the man in black clenched his fists and placed them in front of his chest.
Boxing? No, such a stance for boxing wasn’t natural. It would be more accurate to say that it was either judo or wrestling. The other party pretended to be fighting, but it was actually intended to try to paralyze them.
Origami could make the subtle obscurities in the man’s posture—this man had a lot of experience in fighting. Origami frowned and rethought her strategy.
If it was one-on-one, there were plenty of ways she could deal with him. However, she also had to protect Nia and Miku and there was more than just the one man in black that she had to deal with at the same time.
As Origami continued to think of a solution, she suddenly felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. It was Miku.
“Just leave it for someone else to deal with.”
Miku finished talking and waved her cloak with a flourish. Origami looked puzzled but her eyebrows remained furrowed.
“These aren’t opponents you can beat in a fight. At least take a step back and make sure they can’t take you hostage.”
Even as Origami said so, Miku didn’t step back but instead gently said:
“No problem, just wait there for a bit, and remember to cover your ears.”
“…”
“Ah”
Origami and Nia both figured out Miku’s intentions and nodded at once, covering their ears with both hands.
Miku took a step forward and took a big breath—
“──────────── ♪”
She sang a lullaby to the men in black.
◇◇◇
“W-W-What…”
Ajitsu stared at the screen in the monitoring room, stunned. This was understandable: after all, one of the intruder girls moved like a singer, and then the bodyguards all fell down all at the same time.
“What the hell is going on Braque! How the hell did this happen?”
Ajitsu was screaming hysterically as he watched the scene unfold. However, Braque remained calm but he stared at the screen with greater interest while stroking his chin.
“Well, they probably used a type of hypnotic gas. Though judging from the fact that they didn’t wear equipment like a gas mask, it could be a directional jet device…”
“Now’s not the time to be uttering such nonsense!”
Ajitsu growled angrily. Braque could only shrug with a wry smile.
“Weren’t you the one who asked me what happened?”
“Shit! The point is, what are you going to do now?! Both the traps and the bodyguards are useless!”
“Hey, it looks like there’s nothing you can do. It just means that the other party is slightly better.”
Braque said while scratching his head. Seeing his relaxed composure, Ajitsu wanted to growl again but he managed to hold it in at the last second.
It was because Braque pressed something similar to a military card to his forehead and his body shone with a faint light.
“What…”
In the face of the unexpected situation, Ajitsu was taken aback. Braque, who’d changed his appearance in an instant, held his chest up, as though showing off his new mechanical armor.
“Since none of the previous methods managed to resolve the problem, there’s no way other than to let me handle this myself. Of course, you’ll be paying me a special bonus for doing this.”
“No, is it really okay? Didn’t you just say that the other party has hypnotic gas…?”
At that moment, Ajitsu stopped speaking.
Because of Braque’s evil smile, he felt like he was being pushed by a ghost and his body couldn’t move at all.
“…!”
“Haha, sorry, sorry. That was a bit overkill.”
Braque said happily, and at the same time, Ajitsu’s body was able to move again.
“…Was it a good thing that you did that…?”
“Yes. Do you understand a little bit after that? Fighting? Hypnotic gas? Haha! That kind of thing is as good as a three-legged cat in front of a wizard’s Territory.”
Braque opened his hands exaggeratedly and continued.
“Not to brag or anything, but I’m also a well-known wizard in DEM. As long as the opponent is not a Spirit, there’s no way I’m going to lose this battle. You just need to be like a villain, holding a brandy in one hand and waiting for the cat in one hand.”
Braque said jokingly.
His relaxed attitude seemed reliable in Ajitsu’s eyes.
“Hmm… in that case, I’ll leave it to you, Braque.”
“No problem.”
The wizard Lenard Braque listened to Ajitsu’s voice behind him as he left the monitoring room.
◇◇◇
“—Don’t move.”
As soon as the door to the monitoring room was opened, Origami warned Miku and Nia who entered the room behind her.
“Drink! Strange Thieves ‘Midnight Kite!’”
“Appear here!”
After speaking, the two struck impressive poses. Because the two were posing on either side of Origami, it looked like Origami was striking a pose of her own.
Hmm… as far as poses went, there was nothing wrong with them. Origami immediately went back to thinking as she looked carefully around the room.
In the room with several screens, she could see several servants and an old man. This old man must be the owner of this mansion, Ajitsu Kenzo.
“What…!”
Ajitsu stared at Origami in disbelief as he began trembling in terror.
“Why are you here! B-Braque!”
“Braque? Who’s that?”
“Isn’t that the guy? The guy who just came out.”
“Ah. The one Origami managed to beat in ten seconds…”
“Br-Braque!”
Nia and Miku talked as though they were gossiping while Ajitsu shouted with his eyes wide open.
“However, it really scared me. Isn’t he a wizard?”
“It’s DEM Industries, who came to earn some extra money. I’ve heard that the wizards who are ranked low in the company are not expected to fight in the war against the Spirits. Instead, they work to support DEM-related politicians and donors. Even wizards with minimal strength are more than enough to pose a dangerous threat to an average person.”
“Now I feel so bad…”
“That is to say it seems like if they are ignored by people in the same age group, they just run to the elementary school students and proclaim themselves king among the elementary school students.”
Miku and Nia whispered slightly louder and, for some reason, Ajitsu’s expression was shocked.
“—However, a wizard is still a wizard, and it makes things a little bit harder for me.”
Origami whispered softly while Ajitsu looked at the hard aluminum box in his hand.
“Ajitsu Kenzo, hand over the Rose Maiden!”
Origami ordered, taking a threatening step forward.
“D-Don’t move!”
Ajitsu shook his shoulders and pulled something resembling a small remote control from his pocket.
“I-I will never hand it over to anyone! The Rose Maiden will always belong to me! Rather than let it be snatched by you, I’ll just blow it up here and now!”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? If you do that, you’d just kill yourself!”
“Hahahaha! Whatever you say!”
“…”
Origami’s eyes narrowed while Miku and Nia continued talking.
The distance between Origami who was close to the door of the room and Ajitsu who was deep in the room was about five minutes visually. Although Origami could shorten the distance in an instance, it wasn’t nearly enough time to reach him before he pressed the button on the remote control.
All she needed was a second, if Nia and Miku could distract the other person—
Just as Origami was thinking of a plan at that moment:
“Agh!”
Something suddenly crossed her field of vision, and Ajitsu was left clutching his hand while making a painful noise.
Although she had no idea what happened, Origami didn’t let go of such an opportunity. She immediately rushed to close the distance and kicked the remote away from Ajitsu’s hand and they watched as it clattered to the floor.
“What…!”
Origami lowered her center of gravity with and with a single fluid movement, kicked Ajitsu as hard as she could in his heart.
“Wait… I won’t let you snatch… the Rose Maiden…!”
Ajitsu spat out a painful sound before he slumped forward onto the ground, unconscious.
Origami noticed the scared servants’ movements with the little light in the room as she opened the hard aluminum box that Ajitsu originally held and confirmed that the target gem was still inside.
“…? Isn’t this—”
At that moment, Origami spotted a card on the ground beside Ajitsu who was still unconscious.
──It has the emblem of “Midnight Kite” on it.
“Hey, Origami? These things sure come in handy, huh?”
Nia said so proudly. It seems that she was the one who shot the card and bought Origami the time she needed to recover the gem.
“Yeah! Nia, you’re so cool! You shoot so well!”
“Hey, continue praising me… Actually, it’s pretty difficult to shoot accurately, I just made a gap on the edge of the card and shot it with a rubber band. It’s like playing with a used phone card before. What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you don’t even know what a phone card is!”
After she finished talking, Nia stretched the rubber band on her hand, released it, and shook her hand slightly. It all seemed very painful.
Origami crouched down and picked up the cards before returning to Miku and Nia.
“—It helped me out a lot. I don’t think the card was useless.”
“Hehe Just keep it in mind!…Strange, why are you taking the card away?”
Nia proudly raised her chest and then noticed that the card was in Origami’s hand, prompting her to tilt her head in confusion.
“I don’t want to leave any traces of our crimes. Miku, is there a way to use the “singing voice” to erase the memory of everyone in the house about what happened tonight?”
“”Oh! That’s it! Let’s try it! However, it is not effective for unconscious people. It is useful only when the sleeping people are awake…”
“It doesn’t matter. They’re all tied up now so it’s not like they’re going anywhere. It looks like they have stolen a lot of other things too. Why don’t we just throw them out on the porch and call the police to keep them quiet.”
With Origami and Miku saying so, Nia waved her hands in dissatisfaction.
──As a result, the first appearance of “Midnight Kite” (there is no plan for the next appearance) is coming to an almost perfect crime.
◇◇◇
The next day:
“── Here you are, Rosalie-san. Can you confirm this is it?”
Miku brought Rosalie to her home and placed the Rose Maiden that was recovered from Ajitsu’s house on the table.
“…! M-Miku-san…! How did you get it back…!”
Rosalie, who was sitting across the table from her, covered her mouth with her hands, her face the perfect picture of shock. Miku smiled proudly and answered:
“Hahaha Didn’t I tell you before? There’s more to an idol than meets the eye! Ah, you’ll have to keep this a secret.”
After Miku finished, Rosalie nodded and promised with tears streaming down her face.
“Thank you, thank you… I never expected Rose Maiden to return to me…”
“Ah! Don’t cry! I just got it back for you to make you happy. It doesn’t make sense to cry now!”
After Miku said this in a joking manner, Rosalie wiped away her tears and burst into the brightest smile Miku had seen from her. When she saw this, Miku couldn’t help but smile.
But immediately after this, her expression turned serious, her breathing quickened, and her fingers began moving quickly.
“So come on, Rosalie-san. You promised that you would…”
“Eh? Ah—”
Rosalie’s eyes widened instantly, and then she blushed as if she realized Miku’s intentions.
“Okay… I see. But is it really possible?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Hearing Rosalie’s meaningful words, Miku tilted her head in confusion. As a result, Rosalie curled her hair in a sexy motion and approached Miku slowly.
She then whispered softly in her ear:
“──Is a kiss on your cheek really all you want?”
The image of Rosalie who was so pure was amazing and Miku’s eyes widened in panic.
All the same, Rosalie licked her lips and said:
“Miku-san, could you please close your eyes?”
“O-Okay!”
It was an immediate role reversal of offense and defense. Normally, Miku liked to attack beautiful girls but she also loved being played with by them. She followed Rosalie’s instructions, and all the while, her expression suddenly became more charming as she closed her eyes.
◇◇◇
“Origami! Nia!”
The next day following their clash with the burglar, Origami was busy pasting the newly acquired pictures of Shido in an album in the Itsuka household living room. Miku rolled in with a loud noise.
“What are you doing?”
“Um, Miku, what’s wrong?”
Origami and Nia, who’d only just arrived as well, wondered aloud.
Therefore, Miku even forgot to adjust her breathing and quickly said:
“B-B-Being stolen! Rose Maiden…!”
“What is going on?”
“Oh! Don’t tell me that Ajitsu somehow managed to steal it again? Wasn’t he already arrested by the police?”
After origami and Nia started asking, Miku shook her head vigorously and pulled out a card and put it on the table.
“T-This! You see this?!”
“…?”
Origami and Nia were questioning as they took a closer look at the card.
Then their eyes widened in amazement.
The Rose Maiden, I accept it.
Thank you, Miku onee-sama!♡
Rose Thief.
Because the card had the sentence written above and the rose symbol.
“Miku, where did this card come from?”
“It’s Rosalie! Rosalie asked me to close my eyes, but nothing happened. If nothing happens, does that still count as playing? After opening my eyes slightly, I found that Rose Maiden was gone, leaving on this card…!”
“…”
After listening to the perfect mess, Origami narrowed her eyes silently.
The next moment, there was a brisk call from a mobile phone.
“Ah!”
It seems to be the sound of Miku’s cell phone. Miku took out her phone and looked at the screen—a more shocked expression on her face.
“R-Rosalie!”
“…!”
Origami raised an eyebrow while Miku quickly pressed the call button and put the phone to her ear.
“Hey, hello! Rosalie-san! What’s going on! Didn’t you promise to give a kiss to my cheek—?”
“Give me that.”
Origami interrupted Miku, grabbing her smartphone from her.
“Hey.”
“──Ah, hey? Great, there is someone who understands people.”
After Origami answered the phone, a female voice came from the microphone. The way of speaking is slightly different from the simple deep boudoir described by Miku.
“Are you Miss Tobiichi Origami? Former AST? Thank you very much for your help this time.”
It seemed that the other party knew Origami. Origami thought for a moment before making a sound.
“Are you the wizard who used me to defeat that DEM wizard and then take advantage of the situation?”
After Origami finished speaking, Rosalie whistled in surprise.
“That’s awesome. I only gave you such a message and you were able to figure out basically everything.”
Even though the thief was complimenting her, there was nothing to be happy about. Origami frowned slightly.
—Welbeck Rosalie, also known as the Rose thief, had been following Ajitsu’s Rose Maiden but knew that his family had an extraordinary human - a wizard - at his command.
She could only guess that it was to knock him down that she deliberately approached Origami—a former member of the AST—through Miku. Then Rosalie continued, aware that Origami was still listening:
“Ah, don’t worry. The Rose Maiden is really something that was stolen from my family, it wasn’t just a calling card or something. Isn’t it embarrassing to have something stolen by your peers? However, the existence of a so-called wizard? Normal people don’t have a chance of beating it.”
Rosalie smiled heartily.
“I originally wanted to use you as bait so that I could get it back myself. However, I didn’t expect you to steal it back for me. I really admire you. If there’s a problem in the future, I would like to be able to ask you for help.”
“…”
Since Origami remained silent, Rosalie filled with a short laugh.
“Don’t be so angry! Anyway, can you tell the other two that I said hello? Thanks, goodbye!”
After finishing what she had to say, Rosalie promptly hung up.
Origami sighed softly and threw the phone back to Miku.
“Ah! Rosalie-san! We’re not done here yet! You have to kiss my cheek! It’s no use refusing to answer the phone!”
Miku grasped at the phone while speaking angrily into the microphone. It seemed that for Miku, not getting the kiss on the cheek was more important to her than Rosalie’s true identity.
“…”
Origami, in order to suppress her impatience in her heart, sat back down on the sofa and went back to work on her Shido photo album again.
At the same time, Nia looked at the strange calling card with the rose emblem with interest and whispered, “Cool… of course, a thief would leave a calling card.”
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